Lighting Up Winter Memories
by Eroskigal
Summary: Jack gets invited to attend a winter feast at the Tengu house, along with some of his other allies, but not everyone is cheery this time of year. Aku has a plan to get rid of the celebration, along with the energy making him weak. Jack, however, isn't going to let him go without a fight. A Samurai Jack Christmas Special.
1. Extended Hand

Chapter 1: Extended Hand

After days of going after a giant mutant monster on top of some ice cold mountains, Jack could swear, walking into the city, that it had just gotten even colder.

His journey had forced him to return to the enormous urban center, the very place in which he first appeared. Knowing that the city contained many who would be out for his head, Jack quickly hurried in search of a place to eat. Walking through the streets was no easy task. It got very cold, very quickly, and Jack, no matter how much he tried to escape this torment, could not hold his Gi tight enough.

The people walking on the sides of the streets were wearing clothes much warmer than his, and he had to admit that he was a little jealous in that moment. Even his straw hat was on the verge of blowing away. A nearby restaurant soon appeared, so he quickly opened the door in order to escape the biting cold.

The restaurant itself had a nice, quaint appearance. The walls were made of a nice dark wood, and the place just had an overall friendly feel to it. Quietly, Jack approached the counter and saw that a rather short man was working the bar. "What will it be?" The man asked.

Jack took a second to look over the menu. "Um...I will try the miso soup, please."

The man nodded. "Good choice."

While he went to the back, Jack found his mind wandering. The restaurant was virtually empty, aside from a couple of people sitting at a corner table. The inside of the joint was actually really warm, a welcome contrast to the harsh cold of the outdoors. Jack actually found himself smiling due to the sheer atmosphere of just one tiny little place. In fact, he almost started to feel...at home. Okay, so it wasn't exactly like his old home, but it was something.

"Here you go." The man said as he sat the bowl down in front of him.

"Ah, thank you."

Slowly, after blowing away some of the heat, Jack ate a bit of the soup, and instantly fell in love. He hadn't had miso soup in such a long time, that he had almost forgotten what it had tasted like entirely. His memory flashed back to his mother, and how she would always make it for him when he was sick. She would show up in his room with a kind smile and a nice, steaming bowl. Smiling, he savored every last bite of the soup, until he finished the entire bowl.

Jack got up, paid for his meal, and left the restaurant without another word. This time, he was in a much better mood than he was before he had entered. In fact, he managed to notice things about the city that he hadn't before. Lanterns were hanging outside shops, brightening the streets. People seemed incredibly cheerful as they walked along in their warm jackets. "I have never seen the city quite like this before." He uttered to himself.

He started walking up the street, maybe hoping to find a place to stay that didn't involve freezing. He had to admit, however, that the townspeople were really putting him in a good mood, just because of the vibes they were giving off. Whatever had happened to the city, it was...a nice change.

Behind him, he could have sworn that he heard a gasping sound. This suspicion was confirmed when a quiet yell of "Samurai Jack!" came from behind as well.

Once Jack turned around, he was actually surprised to see two very familiar faces. They were a boy and a girl about the same age. The girl had purple hair, the boy was wearing geta sandals, and both were of Japanese decent. Jack remembered these two very clearly. "You are...Kuni, and...Mr. Tengu's son." He was rather surprised to see both of them in the same place.

The boy realized something. "Oh, that's right. I didn't really introduce myself last time. My name is Kanba."

Jack smiled, trying to collect himself. "Um, so what are you two doing out here?"

"She's my cousin. Her and her family are visiting from out of town."

This certainly was news to Jack. To think that two different kids he had met on two different occasions would actually turn out to be cousins. "We came out here to get ingredients for the celebration." Kuni added.

Something clicked in Jack's head. "Wait, celebration?"

Kanba nodded. "Yeah, every year during winter, the whole town likes to celebrate by decorating their homes and making big meals for the entire family to eat, and not to mention, presents."

Jack took a second to take it all in. "And...Aku is okay with this?"

Kuni shrugged. "He never seems to mind. Our celebrations usually go uninterrupted."

Kanba added, "Yeah. This year, we're going to be inviting a lot of our family and friends." It was then that Kanba had an idea. "Jack! Why don't you come celebrate with us!"

The samurai was taken aback by this. "I-I do no-"

"He's right!" Kuni remarked, "You should join us!"

Jack tried his best to decline. "N-No, really, it is your celebration. I would not want to impose."

"You won't be!" Kanba jumped up. "It'll be great. There'll be a tone of food! And I know my parents would like to have you back! Please!?"

Kuni nodded. "Yeah, would you please join us for dinner?"

In the end, Jack knew he wouldn't be able to tell them no. "Alright, I will join your feast."

As expected, the kids cheered in happiness. "Thank you so much, Jack! Now we've gotta go and finish the shopping, but just come by the repair shop tomorrow, okay?"

At this, Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright. Be safe on your way home."

"We will!"

As the two of them ran off into the distance, Jack's smile faded. He felt a sort of dread in his stomach. There was still a sort of doubt that clouded his mind. "What if Aku finds out?"

Jack knew that the demon could be watching him at any minute. He could have even been watching him in that moment. There was no way to know for sure, but Jack couldn't bring himself to break his promise, especially not to those kids. Sighing, he moved along, still looking for somewhere to sleep for the night.

* * *

 **Throughout the show, Jack has reacted to a lot of things. And with Christmas coming up, I asked myself, "How would Jack react to Christmas?" And thus, the idea for this story was born. This will basically be a short seven-chapter story, but I hope to do my best with it. This is also my first Samurai Jack story, so hope you enjoy.**


	2. Lit Interior

Chapter 2: Lit Interior

In keeping with his promise, Jack arrived at the Tengu Repair Shop the next day. Slowly peering into the garage as he had done before, he called out, "Hello?"

Sparks were being emitted from the tool being used to fix some old machine. Once Mr. Tengu looked up, his expression turned into a smile. "Samurai Jack!"

He happily leapt off of his stool and greeted him with kindness. "You are early! We thought you would be coming later!"

Jack quickly apologized. "I am sorry, I did not-"

Mr. Tengu cut him off. "No need to apologize! We are happy to have you here!"

He turned to the machine behind him. "I just need to finish this last vehicle before the celebration begins, but in the meantime, why don't you go inside and meet everyone."

With a quick "thank you," Jack entered the living room and was actually taken aback a little. The place was quaint, but nice. It was at least much warmer than it was outside. Sitting on the floor in front of a little table, were Hana and Miyuki, the two daughters of the household, and Kanba's older sisters.

They both sat on the same side of the table and were currently speaking to someone opposite them. It was this detail that surprised Jack, as the two sitting on the other side were two people who he recognized as familiar. He recognized their familiar wings and his mind flashed back into the past.

The talking in the room stopped abruptly as the four of them noticed the presence in the room. And they were just as surprised. "Jack?" The brother asked.

Astor and Verbina, prince and princess of their own dimension, were here on Earth, celebrating winter. They seemed pleasantly surprised to see him, and he in turn was happy to see them again.

"You're here." Miyuki stated.

Jack still had to get over his surprise. "What are you two doing on Earth? I thought you went back to your kingdom."

Verbina answered. "We did, but right now we're on a field vacation to help better understand this dimension."

"We were found by a man who is taking us in for a short time." Astor finished.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "A man?"

As if it was right on cue, a whistling man came walking into the room carrying some firewood. Jack was actually pretty speechless. Once the familiar man put the wood down, he looked up to see his old friend, and his mood immediately brightened. "Jack!"

With a hearty laugh, the man walked over and pulled him into an uncomfortably tight hug. "I haven't seen ya in a long while!"

Despite being unable to move, Jack mustered up a smile. "Y-Yes, neither have I."

Once the Scotsman put him down, he slapped Jack across the back, leaving the Samurai in a slight pain, although he wouldn't admit it. "So, what brings ya here?"

Straitening out his gi, he answered. "I am friends with Mr. Tengu, and I was invited to come here yesterday. What, may I ask, are you doing here?"

After another loud laugh, he answered, "Come with me, an' I'll explain."

* * *

They made their way to the back room to collect firewood that had been stored away for winter. On the way, the Scotsman recounted his story. "Once when me wife went shoppin', she ran into another woman. It was an accident, really. My wife was walking with the last bag of sugar in her hands, and when she turned 'round the corner, a shoppin' basket nailed 'er in the stomach and caused 'er to drop it."

The Scotsman chuckled a little. "Now me wife, she got angry at the woman pushin' the basket, and chewed her out over and over. The woman tried to apologize, but me wife just wouldn't listen. Finally, after she'd had enough o' the yellin', the woman, quite small and petite compared to me wife, started yellin' back, tellin' her she already apologized and needed to stop."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And that woman was..."

"That's right! Good ol' Mrs. Tengu, quite feisty for 'er size, she is. After she turned the tables around, me wife had a change of heart, and decided that anyone brave enough to tangle wit' her was worthy in 'er book."

They had arrived in the back room and started carrying a couple of boxes back into the main room. "Ever since then, they've been the best o' friends, talkin' on the phone late into night. And later on, I was introduced to her husband, Mr. Tengu, and we 'it it off just fine."

Jack nodded. "I see. And what about the Prince and Princess?"

"I came across this weird metal contraption the other day, and weirdly enough, I found those two just waltzin' around without directions. I took 'em back to me residence and havin' 'em stay for a while. They say they're here to study Earth."

Jack had understood what the Scotsman had told him, but he still found it hard to believe that a few of the people he had met on his travels would be connected in such a way. The two of them reentered the living room with the boxes of wood. And the room seemed different from the last time he was there. Now, four occupants, there seemed to be seven.

"Oh my dear, how lovely are today." Hana blushed and smiled at that comment.

"Oi! Stop that flirtin', would ya?" Came a Scottish accent that didn't belong to the Scotsman.

"Yeah, I agree, we're in someone else's home." Came another.

They looked over to him, and immediately started wagging their tails in excitement. "Samurai Jack! How surprising to see you here!"

The Samurai smiled, trying to get over odd coincidence after odd coincidence. "I-I agree, it is...quite strange."

Ignoring his tense surprise, the dachshund of the group went up and rapidly shook his hand. "Nice to see you again, Jack! How have your travels been treating you?" He asked in his posh British accent.

Jack paused. "I...have not yet been able to return to the past."

Sir Angus Mcduffy, the Scottish Terrier, shrugged it off. "That's alright. You'll get there eventually."

Jack didn't have time to answer before Sir Drifus Alexander, the bulldog, joined in. "Yeah, you just have to keep trying."

Jack silently accepted their encouragement, and just as he thought that things couldn't get any stranger, Mr. Tengu walked into the living room with two other people by his side.

"One of my recent endeavors involves stealing a priceless golden statue, which is said to be the key to an ancient civilization filled with gold and riches." A slick voice spoke.

"R-Really? I've been working on my new inventions, mostly ones that involve giant robots." A kind of shaky voice continued.

It's at this point that Jack could swear he was going insane. It seemed that all the allies he had made were at this celebration. It was very strange, he would admit, but it was also...pleasant. Nearly everyone he had ever met was all gathered under one roof. And the inside of the house actually felt pretty warm. It had put him in a pretty good mood. Plus, it wasn't like he hadn't wanted to see them again.

The Thief, a man who's real name Jack didn't know, approached him. "Hey, I remember you. It's been a while."

Exdor, the scientist, approached as well. "I haven't seen you since your battle with the robots I created."

After properly greeting them, the Samurai heard two very excited voices from behind him. "Jack! You made it!"

Kanba and Kuni ran up to him, being the energetic kids they were. He couldn't help but smile at them.

Just then, Yamiko and Tobi, Kuni's mother and brother appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Dinner is almost ready. I would like for everyone to be seated at the table."

* * *

During dinner, Mr. Tengu recounted his story. "I was the oldest brother in the Tengu family. Older than my brother Shiro over here." He was referring to Kuni's father, who just happened to be sitting next to him. "We were both raised on traditional Japanese values, and our parents were rather strict, but they taught us what we needed to survive in life."

Shiro continued. "As we grew up, I decided to move to the countryside, while my brother stayed in the city. We maintained contact over the years and attended each other's weddings."

Mr. Tengu seemed to remember something fondly. "I remember when I met Hoshi. We were in college at the time."

Just then, the Thief recalled something. "We were all buddies back in college."

"All three of you?"

Exdor answered with a stutter. "Y-Yes. Me and Mr. Tengu graduated from the engineering major, while Michael decided to go for a treasure hunting major."

"Wait, your name is Michael?" The Thief tipped his hat. "Pretty much. I also came across those guys over there, you know, the canines. I made a deal with them and told them that if they found any secret treasure, I would split it with them, fifty-fifty."

Now that the pieces were pretty much put together, Jack took this opportunity to look around the room. Everyone seemed to be smiling and getting along. Prince Astor was sitting next to Miyuki, and from the look of it, he was blushing pretty hard. The Canines were sitting next to each other, eating in unison. Hana was sitting next to Princess Verbina, and they were carried away talking. After having made the dinner, Mrs. Tengu, Yamiko, and Tobi were digging in. The Scotsman sat next to his wife, both of them eating away.

For some reason, the feeling of happiness and unity in the room just really set a good tone. All of a sudden, memories came flooding back. Jack smiled as his mind was taken back to simpler times.

* * *

 **I think the hardest thing about writing this chapter was portraying a Scottish accent. I think I did okay, though.**


End file.
